Lebanon, with a population of 4.4 million, is currently acting as host to more than one million Syrian refugees – three-quarters of whom are women and children. As a consequence, many women are now supporting their families alone for the first time in their lives.

The mass influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon has put a severe strain on schools, hospitals and water supplies. Many refugees have exhausted their limited savings, and some have taken under-the-table jobs with low wages and poor working conditions to feed their families. The refugees also live with the constant threat of being deported back to Syria.

In the run-up to International Women’s Day next week, Global News Insight met five Syrian women who have been struggling to survive in Lebanon.